A newel post used in building construction is generally an upright post at the head or foot of a flight of stairs, and serves to support a handrail for the stairs. In view of the important structural and safety considerations for such applications, fastening hardware used to anchor a newel post to its foundation must be structurally strong and reliable. During new home construction, access to the underside of the floor allows the use of a long threaded screw to secure the newel post to the floor. However, it is not always feasible to anchor the newel post in this manner, particularly during remodeling when access to the underside of the floor is either impossible or undesirable.
Consequently, other types of conventional newel post fastening hardware have been developed in the art which do not require access through the underside of the floor, and therefore overcome the problems with the previously described hardware. One such example includes a long rod whose upper end is anchored in the newel post and whose lower end is anchored in a floor joist beneath the floor where the newel post is to be anchored. Each end of the rod is threaded, enabling the lower end to be threaded directly into the floor joist, while the upper end is threaded into a nut positioned at the end of a deep bore formed in the lower end of the newel post. An access hole through the side of the newel post is required to gain access to the nut for assembly and tightening. The structural integrity of this fastening hardware relies on the length of the rod being sufficient to withstand lateral forces on the newel post, requiring that the ends of the rod be deeply driven into the floor joist and the newel post. Consequently, a disadvantage with this type of fastening hardware is that its use is limited to situations in which a floor joist is located directly beneath the newel post which, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, is not always the case. Also, installation of the rod is labor intensive, particular in view of the extremely deep bores which must be formed in both the newel post and the floor joist prior to installing the rod. Finally, the access hole to the nut must later be filled with a plug which will remain noticeable and unattractive after installation.
For situations in which a floor joist is not available, the prior art has suggested fastening hardware which involves securing the perimeter of the lower end of the newel post to the floor. Generally, a vertical flange of a bracket is attached directly to the lower perimeter of the newel post, while a horizontal flange of the bracket is secured to the floor. A significant shortcoming of this type of fastening system is that the limited structural integrity of the fastening system, which relies on the ability to secure the bracket to the floor, and may require forming a hole through the floor beneath the newel in order to secure the horizontal flange with nuts and bolts. Another shortcoming is that the lower end of the newel post must be finished with trim in order to conceal the vertical flange attached to the newel post and the horizontal flange attached to the floor, resulting in limited aesthetic appeal.
From the above, it can be seen that the prior art does not teach a newel post fastening system which can provide suitable structural integrity and maximum design flexibility, and whose installation does not require access to the underside of the floor on which the newel post is to be mounted or access to or through the side of the newel post. Consequently, known newel post fastening systems often require the installer to compromise between structural integrity and aesthetic appearance, particular with installations during remodeling.
Therefore it would be advantageous to provide a newel post fastening system which can be readily and quickly installed in either new home construction or during remodeling, in that it does not require access to the underside of the floor on which the newel post is to be mounted or access to or through the side of the newel post. Furthermore, it would be advantageous if such a fastening system could offer maximum design flexibility in that its hardware is concealed as installed, so as not to require being concealed with trim. Finally, such a fastening system would preferably reduce the amount of labor required for installation, yet provide a structurally sound and reliable anchoring system.